Fall is the season where there is plenty of activity as sumac, carob, pomegranate are picked. Tons of olives are harvested and mostly made into olive oil, while some of it is used to make olive pickles. Also it’s the season of vegetables that are main ingredients of many Palestinian dishes, one example is eggplant. I was driving from Amman to Jerash two weeks ago, all I could see by the side of the road were street vendors with boxes and boxes of baby eggplants on display, and this only means one thing, it is time to make Makdous!

Two important things to keep in mind when buying baby eggplants: 1) to taste a sample to make sure the ones that will be used are not bitter, and also, some say it is better to used ones that have been picked before the first rainfall. 2) to follow the simple rule of making makdous; the smaller the eggplants, the better…

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Zaatar bread also known as “fatayer fallahi” which means villagers’ pie, is a typical Palestinian pastry mostly made in spring, which is the official season of collecting fresh wild thyme. It is a flat bread, oily but crunchy, stuffed with fresh zaatar leaves, onions and sumac.

Personally, I’m in a never-ending romantic relationship with zaatar bread! Smelling the scent of baking bread mixed with the aroma of roasting thyme greased with olive oil, is where the romance starts over again every time…

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Fattet hummus (also called “tis-iyeh” as in Syria) is typically served as breakfast, mostly on Friday’s breakfasts. Also it’s served as a side dish in occasional dinners.

There are many recipes of fattet hummus, but I’m going to share with you the best of them all.  It consists of four  layers: Fried pita bread, Tahini sauce, tahini paste (hummus dip) and topping of pine nuts, olive oil, parsley and cumin.

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Bitter orange jam is a typical Ottoman dish which is widely known in Turkey as “turunç“. It is also known in Palestine but less commonly, where it’s called “mrabba khesh-kash”, “mrabba naranj”, or “zifer” as in Nablus.

I was very lucky to learn this recipe from one of few women who still make it the original way, year after year. All the credit  goes to Mrs. Firyal Alul, thank you so much for keeping our heritage alive and for the love and patience you have shown…

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Like most of seeds, black cumin seeds (black seeds, qizha, or nigella seeds) have many health benefits. They are rich of unsaturated important fatty acids, antioxidant, powerful immune booster, and also they improve overall digestion and maintain normal blood pressure. As a result of all this, black cumin seeds are used in different cuisines especially the eastern ones as seasoning spices for salads, soups, and bread…

Aside from using black cumin seeds (as is without grinding) for seasoning, they also can be used to make black cumin (qizha) paste exactly like extracting tahini from sesame seeds. In Palestine, the best locally made qizha paste comes from Nablus. This thick paste is made from grinding both black cumin and sesame seeds and it can be found in middle-east food stores.

In spite of the bitter taste of black cumin paste (qizha paste), old Palestinians managed to create a sweet treat out of it by adding sugar, oil and roasted flour to the paste and baking them all to get at the end a tasty and original dessert pie. And here I’m posting how exactly to make this extremely healthy and delicious black cumin pie.

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Shakshoukeh (or shakshuka) is the kind of dishes that can be prepared and made anytime, by anyone, and using the most basic ingredients that any kitchen would have. It basically consists of two ingredients: tomatoes and eggs, but extra ingredients can be added according to the preference of the cook like garlic, onions, green peppers, cheese and meat. In this recipe, I’ll be using tomatoes, eggs, green onions, parsley and tomato paste for a thicker sauce and more concentrated tomato flavor.

Shakshoukeh has started as a meal for workers, farmers, fishermen, and poor people in general; and this (in addition to it’s fresh and deciduous taste) made it a very popular dish not only in Palestine but in the whole Arab region. It’s called shakshouka in the countries of north Africa (where it’s originally from),  jaz-maz in Syria, makhlama in Iraq, and some people would simply call it eggs and tomatoes.

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Labaneh (or Labneh) is a thick and creamy spread made from fresh yogurt milk which has been strained in order to remove the whey using cotton cloth. Labaneh balls in particular are made from a thicker form of labaneh that are rolled into small balls and kept in olive oil filled jar. Thicker form of labaneh necessarily means more straining time, more produced whey, and more food longevity.

The jar of labaneh balls is an important element of Levantine cuisine and no Palestinian kitchen is complete without it. It is a sort of preserved food usually made from cows’ milk couple of times a year and it can be used and consumed for many months.

Labaneh balls are commonly served for breakfast and dinner with taboun or pita bread, olive oil and pinch of crush dried mint. In this recipe, I’ll be mixing labaneh with walnuts, hot red pepper, and garlic for rich flavor and high nutritional value.

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